


À la claire fontaine

by Yowzahhowzah



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, I love them so much, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, french lullabies, ooc because its too fluffy, they're in the real world!, yay!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 10:37:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14767995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yowzahhowzah/pseuds/Yowzahhowzah
Summary: Eleanor can't believe this.Simone Patia Anagonye is happily falling asleep in her father's arms once again when just a minute ago she was screaming her lungs out at her at 3am in the morning.She hears him singing some lullaby that he'd started singing the moment Simone was born. It's a shame Eleanor never listened in French class in high school or she'd know what magic spell he's humming into their little girl's ears.





	À la claire fontaine

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently obsessed with this show and I never want it to end. 
> 
> So while we're waiting for the new season, let us just have some tooth-rotting, diabetes-causing, so-sweet-you-might-puke fluff. 
> 
> A reminder that this is set on Earth, they're both alive, and yet they remember everything that happened at the 'good place'.
> 
> Title from the French lullaby - À la claire fontaine, and is also the source of all the French in this fic.

Eleanor can't believe this.

Simone Patia Anagonye is happily falling asleep in her father's arms once again when just a minute ago she was screaming her lungs out at her at 3am in the morning.

Chidi rocks the 1-month-old infant in his arms, pacing the pitch black nursery while Eleanor continues to sulk at the door.

Chidi must be doing some forking magic at this point to make Simone fall asleep like that. (Or maybe Simone is the epitome of a daddy's girl which is entirely possible, as chidi looks so besotted with his little girl it's hard to stay angry)

She hears him singing some lullaby that he'd started singing the moment Simone was born. It's a shame Eleanor never listened in French class in high school or she'd know what magic spell he's humming into their little girl's ears to placate her attitude. (He says she gets it from her, but she'll deny it until the day she dies - well, dies again)

 _À la claire fontaine m’en allant promener_  
_J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle que je m’y suis baignée_  
  
As much as she's jealous of chidi's magic powers and mad at her daughter for not cooperating, she also understands why Simone falls asleep as easy as she does.

Chidi runs hot and sleeping with him feels like hugging a hot water bottle that never turns cold. It's a comforting warmth that lulls you to sleep, reminding you that someone is always beside you, that you are loved and cared for always and forever.

Chidi's voice also has that gravelling magnetic quality when he is focused in his talking (or singing currently) that is just so soothing (so soothing that she fell asleep to it multiple times when they first started class in the 'good' place). Their daughter must be having the time of her life having that voice sing to her.

Simone's eyes have drooped closed by the third verse, calmed by the light pats on her back that goes with the beat of what she assumes is a French nursery rhyme.

 _Chante, rossignol, chante, toi qui as le cœur gai_  
_Tu as le cœur à rire… moi je l’ai à pleurer_

By the next verse, Simone is dead to the world, her tiny body moving with her deep breaths.

Chidi finishes the song with a refrain that follows the end of each verse, before lightly kissing his daughter's curls and putting her back into the crib.

_Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, jamais je ne t'oublierai_

Chidi turns towards the door, his eyes widening slightly when he sees Eleanor, thinking she had gone back to their room to sleep.

"How do you do it?"

Eleanor steps out from the shadow of the door frame and crosses her arms.

"Well, first of all, I'm more patient with her,"

Chidi meets her at the doorway, spinning her around to guide her back to their bedroom.

"I am patient! She just hates me."

Eleanor pouts, and chidi can't help but chuckle at the adorable image.

"If you mean 5 minutes of rocking her and then 5 more minutes of just raising her up by her armpits to your eye level to beg her to go to sleep, is patience -"

"It's not about my patience chidi, it's your song! She only seems to fall asleep to that."

They've arrived at the respective edge of their side of the bed, scooting back into the covers as chidi wraps his arms around her like they do every night. Domestic things like this become as natural as air after a while back on Earth, which 'good place' Eleanor would have never dreamed of.

"My mother used to sing that song to me when I was a baby, so I wanted to continue the tradition," Chidi speaks softly against her ear.

"Not that you don't sound very hot speaking in French, but what exactly are you singing to her?"

"Well, it's a story about lost love and -"

"That's depressing for a lullaby." Eleanor snuggles into chidi's embrace, making herself comfortable to fall into slumber again.

"The French like more adult nursery rhymes. As ironic as that is. But the general message is very suitable for lullabies."

"And that is?" Eleanor turns in his arms to look at him, awaiting his reply with heavy lids.

"The refrain, um, at the end of each verse -" Chidi stares into Eleanor's sleepy eyes, and the soft contentment shining through her aqua blue iris makes him feel like the luckiest man alive.

"And it translates to?" Eleanor gently prods him to continue.

"It translates to 'I've loved you for so long, I will never forget you.'" Chidi says in an exhale.

"Chidi -" Eleanor's eyes widen in surprise, then the edges of her lips slowly lift into a contented smile.

"Very fitting for us don't you think?"

"You're such a sap." Eleanor lightly hits chidi's (surprisingly buff) chest as she curls her fist against it.

Chidi moves his face closer to Eleanor's until their foreheads touch, looking up at her through his curled lashes, Eleanor thinks chidi has never looked hotter.

" _Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, jamais je ne t'oublierai_." He whispers as he looks deep into her eyes.

She rolls her eyes fondly as his romanticism but leans in for a kiss. "You have to teach me that song first thing tomorrow."

Chidi chuckles heartily, "Of course, Eleanor, of course."

He kisses her forehead so that her head lays in the crook of his shoulder.

And within seconds, they fall asleep listening to the sound of each other's gentle snoring.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also obsessed with this song right now, so go have a listen to understand how this simple tune is the most poignant, beautiful and calming thing ever on this planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9kWRpPy1ic
> 
> Also the kid is named after famous female philosophers/thinkers because they are nerds:  
> Simone = Simone de Beauvoir  
> Patia = Short for Hypatia, because the full name is a mouth full when paired with Anagonye 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
